


At the End of the Day, Lay Your Burdens Down (the South Pole Party Remix)

by Minutia_R



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/M, Water Tribe(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-18
Updated: 2013-06-18
Packaged: 2017-12-15 09:55:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/848180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Minutia_R/pseuds/Minutia_R
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>"You think I should let her . . . just walk it off?" Mako frowns down at the table, and the carved whale-ivory dishes heaped with blubber cubes, sea cucumbers, and things that Mako is frankly afraid to ask what they are. Bolin likes this stuff, but Bolin will eat anything. "I do owe her an apology. I kinda messed up the last one I made."</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>"And you'll mess it up again if you try in this mood. She needs to cool down, you need to cool down." Korra tosses a blubber cube into the air and catches it in her mouth. "Trust me on this one. Avatar, right?"</i>
</p>
<p>How can Mako enjoy a party when Asami's run off and it's his fault? (Answer: with a little faith in his friends.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	At the End of the Day, Lay Your Burdens Down (the South Pole Party Remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [possibilityleft](https://archiveofourown.org/users/possibilityleft/gifts).
  * Inspired by [savor belonging to yourself](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/23494) by dropsofviolet. 



A slim form slips out the tent flap--it’s probably meant to be unobtrusive, but the piping on her coat is bright red, and Mako is sitting directly in the blast of cold air that comes in as she goes out. He gets halfway out of his seat before Korra grabs a handful of his jacket and yanks.

“Sit down, buster.”

“But,” says Mako. “She’ll get lost, she’ll freeze. And just because she’s mad about seeing us together--well, she has reason to be mad, I guess.”

"Not the point," says Korra. "Asami can take care of herself, remember?"

"You think I should let her . . . just walk it off?" Mako frowns down at the table, and the carved whale-ivory dishes heaped with blubber cubes, sea cucumbers, and things that Mako is frankly afraid to ask what they are. Bolin likes this stuff, but Bolin will eat anything. "I do owe her an apology. I kinda messed up the last one I made."

"And you'll mess it up again if you try in this mood. She needs to cool down, you need to cool down." Korra tosses a blubber cube into the air and catches it in her mouth. "Trust me on this one. Avatar, right?"

Mako chuckles despite himself--it's the way these solemn pronouncements sound around a mouthful of seal blubber, maybe. "Okay, only--I don't think Asami's ever left Republic City. She doesn't know what it's like down here."

"Have you?"

Korra's tone is still light--she's barely stopped grinning since their first kiss--but her words feel like a judgement. Mako hunches his shoulders. "No."

"Hey." Korra runs a hand down his neck, and along one shoulder, and he sighs. It's a wonder, how her touch can open him up like this. "Do you want me to go after her?”

“Would you?” says Mako. “Will you bring her back to the party?”

“Spirits, no,” says Korra. “I’m going to take her penguin sledding.”

“Korra!” Mako yelps, because Korra is fierce and brilliant and big-hearted, but sensitive she is not. “Asami’s just had to fight her father, and had her heart broken, and, and stuff. She doesn’t want to go penguin sledding.”

“Oh, believe me,” and Korra grins in a way that goes straight to Mako’s pants, “she wants to go penguin sledding.” She slides out of her seat, pulls on her parka, and waves over her shoulder. “Try to enjoy the party!”

And Mako tries, he really does. At first, he can’t stop his eyes from drifting to the tent flap every minute or so. But there’s no sign of Korra or Asami, and eventually Mako is hungry enough to sample South Pole delicacies--he’s not quite ready to risk the sea cucumbers, but the pickled eggs with fireweed turn out to be really good.

Somebody gets out a drum, and pounds out a slow, heavy, rhythm, and Katara stands up to sing. Pema joins in, a high note contrasting with Katara’s low one, and suddenly the house is full of more voices than two women should be able to produce. It must be a type of airbending, but Tenzin is drinking in the corner with some friends Mako doesn’t recognize, and the kids are playing a game with dice and counters. They have to scurry out of the way when tables are pushed to the walls to make room for the dancing. It’s entrancing to watch, the moves reminiscent of waterbending, and Mako surprises himself by not hesitating when a bright-eyed boy with a wolf’s-tail pulls him into the circle. He finally stumbles out again and glances at the tent flap, and the sun has dipped towards the horizon--as low as it will get this time of year--without Mako having noticed the passage of time.

Then Bolin starts doing his impressions of various Republic City political figures and celebrities--his Tenzin is particularly bad--and Mako has to go hide in a corner from embarrassment, so he doesn’t even see when the girls come back.

When the party starts winding down, he looks for Korra again, and finally finds her fast asleep, sharing a bed with Asami. Korra’s limbs are flung out in all directions, and Asami is tucked elegantly against her side, a smile on her sleeping face.

Bolin is still awake, though, watching the eerie early-morning twighlight.

“Hey,” says Mako. “What with everything, it’s been a while since we sparred, hasn’t it?”

Bolin frowns. “I thought you were quitting pro-bending. Wanted to do something more with your life.”

“So?” Mako punches him in the shoulder. “Can’t have the captain of the Fire Ferrets getting out of shape. And the practice field’s empty--last one there’s a platypus bear egg.”

He sprints off over the crunchy snow, and hears Bolin’s familiar laughter following him.

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe "not as much of a jerk as you could have been" isn't a canonical tag on AO3.


End file.
